The Alfred

Providing leading healthcare for the people of Melbourne & Victoria. Alfred Health is a leading metropolitan health service in Melbourne, Australia.

For all the latest information about The Alfred and our visiting hours please visit www.alfredhealth.org.au/visitors We pride ourselves on giving our patients and our community the best possible health outcomes by integrating clinical practice with research and education. Alfred Health provides a comprehensive range of specialist services including Australia's busiest trauma centre. We also operate one the largest and most advanced intensive care units (ICU) in the southern hemisphere. Alfred Health offers almost ever form of medical treatment across our three locations at The Alfred, Caulfield Hospital and Sandringham Hospital. Recognised as a national leader in health care, Alfred Health has a commitment to biomedical research. We are also known for excellence in training for medical, nursing, allied health and other support staff. This is further enhanced through partnerships with Monash University, La Trobe University, and several internationally recognised medical research organisations such as the Burnet Institute.

23/10/2025

Despite the rain, we had a full house for the celebration of new renovations at headspace Elsternwick, one of three centres run by Alfred Health.

Youth Advisory Committee members, peer workers, clinical and operational staff were joined by Alfred Health Chief Executive Adjunct Prof Adam Horsburgh, headspace COO Julia Smith, South Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network CEO Quinn Pawson and Member for Macnamara Josh Burns MP, to mark the occasion.

The new refurb was done in consultation with the headspace Elsternwick’s Youth Advisory Committee (YAC), a group of young people aged 16-25 who are passionate about mental health and represent the voices and perspectives of young people to the organisation.

YAC member Sophie McKenzie-Stripp said being in the new space, co-designed with the YAC, was “an amazing feeling”.

“We helped shape this headspace centre into a place that we as young people see ourselves reflected in,” she said.

“As part of the YAC, we connect with young people through school drop-ins, and we build our own community projects like the food pantry or the push-up challenge which we took around to schools.

“These new communal areas will help take away that isolating, shameful feeling that can come with seeking mental health support and will allow us to host so many activities for young people coming to the space.”

Alfred Chief Executive Adjunct Prof Adam Horsburgh congratulated all involved.

“The true value of these centres comes through providing a safe, welcoming environment where young people and their families can receive the guidance and support that they need,” Adjunct Prof Horsburgh said.

“Alfred Health is proud to be the lead agency of this centre, which fits with our purpose: to improve the lives of our patients and their families, and the communities that we serve.”

21/10/2025

The next time you catch yourself thinking about safe, efficient and high-quality patient care at Alfred Health, picture these happy faces.

Director of Pharmacy Prof Michael Dooley said despite playing a critical role in hospitals and healthcare, pharmacy technicians tend to be quiet achievers.

“Today is World Pharmacy Technician Day, which gives us the opportunity to highlight their expertise, care and dedication,” Prof Dooley said.

“They are essential and invaluable members of the team that usually work behind the scenes to ensure the safety and care of our patients.

“We can’t thank them enough.”

Happy World Pharmacy Technician Day to you all – and thank you for your professionalism, commitment, and ongoing contribution to exceptional patient care.

17/10/2025

To mark World Trauma Day, here’s an introduction to a few of the people behind the scenes at The Alfred!

Acting Director of Trauma Services Dr Simon Hendel, right, led the outliers team today, who saw around 20 patients of varying ages and backgrounds.

“It can be quite tough, but one of the great things about working in trauma is that most people get better,” Simon said.

“And with a great team working within a world class trauma system, we can get really good outcomes for people.

“As one of three trauma consultants on today, I'm responsible for all the patients who aren’t admitted to the main trauma ward and aren’t in ICU, which is about a third of the total patients admitted under the trauma unit.

“Maarja, who you can see behind me with the flower clip, is our Registrar.

“She’s on a path to becoming an emergency physician and supervises the day-to-day tasks of the round.

“Lisa, in the darker scrubs, is our trauma pharmacist, her role is invaluable on our team.

“She keeps track and manages each patient’s various medications, making sure they're consolidated appropriately and don’t interfere or interact negatively with each other.

“And Kelvin is our resident - a junior doctor not yet on specialist training.

“His job is to learn, and build on existing clinical skills, but he also takes care of important clerical aspects like adding information to medical records and ordering essential blood tests.

“While no one who comes here with a trauma injury is here by choice, our teams do the best we can to help them through the experience.”

16/10/2025

Lived experience, participants and a beloved Australian artist have come together to beautify the walls of the Women’s Recovery Network (Wren), the inpatient mental health clinic for women run by Alfred Health and Ramsay Health.

Lived Experience Consultant Maria Bradshaw said the idea to formally bring artwork to the clinic was inspired by an existing appreciation and engagement with art at Wren.

“We have art therapy groups and one-on-one artist sessions, and participants often decorate their rooms and communal spaces with their own work,” Maria said.

“So bringing them into the mural process was inevitable. It came from them.”

More here: https://bit.ly/3WCtgj4

15/10/2025

This week is National Carers Week (12-18 October), an opportunity to recognise, celebrate and raise awareness about the 3 million Australians who provide unpaid care to someone living with a disability, mental health condition, chronic illness, age-related condition or someone receiving palliative care.

At Alfred Health, our Carer Services team is highlighting our ‘double carers’, staff who balance their professional roles with an unpaid caring role for someone outside of work—such as an elderly parent, child with a disability, or partner with health needs.

These unpaid carers often juggle both worlds quietly, with little recognition or formal support. And it can have a significant impact: fatigue, emotional strain, and less time for self-care.

Sherene, a volunteer at Alfred Health and unpaid carer is part of our Carer Services team, providing insight, empathy and a lived experience focus to the team.

Previously working in IT in New Zealand, Sherene became a full-time carer for her daughter living with autism.

“She was about 2 when I became a full-time carer for her – she's 21 now, so I decided to make some time and give back to a service that has helped me throughout the years,” said Sherene.

“It’s a great opportunity for me as it gives me the flexibility I need to care for my daughter, and also means being back in an office, which I kind of missed.

“Being a full-time carer can be isolating, so it’s nice to be in this role and have a community around me in Caulfield Hospital.”

02/10/2025

Alfred Health’s Eating Disorders Intensive at Home Program and Ngamai Wilam, Victoria’s first publicly funded residential eating disorder treatment centre, have embraced a pioneering therapeutic approach from overseas.

The model, known as Open Dialogue, centres on mobilising a person’s trusted social network—friends, family, and loved ones—to support them through a mental health crisis.

Facilitated with a mental health clinician and a peer worker with lived experience, the approach empowers the individual to lead their own recovery journey by involving those that are important to them, and those that could be of help, in a series of ‘network’ meetings.

Together, with the support of the practitioners, the group aims to make sense of the current crisis and co-develop a plan to move forward, with the person’s needs and wishes remaining central throughout the process.

Today the potential of Open Dialogue was explored further at this year’s Australian Open Dialogue Symposium. Clinicians, researchers, and lived experience advocates gathered to discuss its future in Australia’s mental health landscape.

More here: https://bit.ly/4pVW9nW

25/09/2025

Between calls, we managed to catch Lead Pharmacist for Home, Acute and Community, Duy Le, to wish him a Happy World Pharmacists Day!

Duy’s team is currently working on a new initiative where pharmacy staff follow up with patients once they’ve returned home after a hospital stay.

“We check in to see how they’re managing their medications, as these often change during admission,” Duy said.

“We confirm they understand any changes, talk through how their medicines are working - including side effects and effectiveness - and provide advice or answer questions.

“We also make sure they’re linked in with any follow-up care they might need.

“This helps ensure the medicines we’ve prescribed are truly benefiting them and gives patients greater confidence in managing their treatment.”

Despite pharmacy being an essential part of both hospitals and the community, Duy said many people still wonder what pharmacists actually do.

“I saw an Insta reel where someone joked about what pharmacists could possibly be doing behind the counter after getting a prescription - which made me laugh,” Duy said.

“But the reality is, behind the counter we’re doing far more than people might realise.”

Read more here: https://bit.ly/4mAkHQi

22/09/2025

Did you catch our PARTY program on the news this weekend? Led by Emergency Nurse Sue Smith, the Prevent Alcohol and Risk-related Trauma in Youth (PARTY) program connects with young people, helping them understand the consequences of risk taking behaviours, as well as giving them a backstage pass to one of the country's busiest hospitals.

15/09/2025

You might notice that we’ve begun a major refresh of signage to help patients and visitors find their way around The Alfred.

Each of our buildings has been designated with a letter. Together, they form an alphabetical sequence on the new map. For example, Philip Block is now Area A; located next to East Block which is now Area B.

Original building names remain clearly marked for those comfortable with the old system.

Front receptionist Lakhbir said she's had good feedback from visitors using the new system.

“It's already helping a lot,” Lakhbir said.

“People are enjoying the new green colour scheme.”

We hope these changes make a positive difference to your hospital experience and thank you for your patience as we transition over to the new system.

View the new map online here: https://bit.ly/3Ko7MU4

11/09/2025

Almost 40 of our social workers took time out to share lunch today, a practice that isn't just limited to R U OK? Day.

With practitioners spread across different wards and all medical units to support treating teams, patients and families, these regular team gatherings ensure team members have the chance to have meaningful conversations with each other about the challenges they face.

"R U OK? Day reminds us of the importance of self-care, especially while supporting some of our patients who can be living in incredibly complex circumstances," said Jo Matchado, Senior Social Worker.

As well as access to regular workplace wellbeing programs with an external consultant and clinical supervision, the team holds regular morning teas and lunches, footy games and performances to celebrate key milestones and recognise contributions.

"We also run the Health with Heart initiative, where staff write postcards acknowledging colleagues who have inspired them, displayed in our Social Work office," said Jo.

"As social workers, we're great at looking after other people. But it's equally as important we look after ourselves."

Today, and any day, make the time to check in with your friends, family and teammates, and ask R U OK?

08/09/2025

When 53 year old Theresa was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer in 2019, there was no one more important to her than her brother Travers and his partner of 20 years, James.

“They have been my rocks, and their love has been my foundation throughout life,” Theresa said.

Supported by the Spiritual Care team to help make meaning of her life and illness, Theresa recognised the grief she held at the prospect of not being able to see Travers and James get married.

“I love James like he is my own brother and I wanted to celebrate their love for each other and my love for them.”

Two days later, with the help of The Alfred community, Travers and James were joined by close family and friends as Theresa walked them down the aisle of the hospital’s Spirituality Centre.

“It was an amazing day - heartbreaking - but also full of joy,” Travers reflects.

Facilitating moments of connection is at the core of spiritual care in healthcare, says Spiritual Care Manager Reineke Ryan.

“People often wonder what spirituality is – it's what makes someone who they are and how they connect with the world around them."

“This will hopefully be a precious memory for the family to hold onto as they continue to reflect on life, and we’re pleased to stand beside them in part of that journey.”

Congratulations Travers and James.

05/09/2025

We’ve kicked off this year’s Critical Care Appeal at home in the Alfred’s retail precinct!

If you stop by for a coffee or a meal you’ll see the 3AW pop up studio where you can hear some of our Alfred Clinicians chatting about the work they do on the airwaves.

This year’s appeal is raising money for Mobile ECPR, an advanced form of life support - commonly only offered in specialist hospitals - to take over the function of the heart and lungs to patients in the community after cardiac arrest.

Mark Wohlers, whose life was saved by Mobile ECPR, joined Mornings presenter Tom Elliott alongside the trial’s co-lead and intensive care specialist Dr Sacha Richardson to chat about the lifesaving intervention and the technology behind it.

Stay tuned for the rest of today and tomorrow morning to hear about the amazing work being done – or better yet, donate here: https://alfredappeal.org.au/

Address

55 Commercial Road Melbourne
South Yarra, VIC
3004

Website

https://www.alfredhealth.org.au/the-alfred

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Our Story

The Alfred is a leading metropolitan health service in Melbourne, Australia. We pride ourselves on giving our patients and our community the best possible health outcomes by integrating clinical practice with research and education. The Alfred provides a comprehensive range of specialist services and we’re home to Australia's busiest trauma centre, treating major trauma patients from across the state. We also operate one the largest and most advanced intensive care units (ICU) in the southern hemisphere.

Patients come to The Alfred for specialty services like comprehensive cancer care, respiratory medicine, cardiology and cardiovascular services. We run 14 statewide services including burns, heart and lung transplant, melanoma, HIV, psychiatry intensive care, bariatric and more. We are the only hospital in Australia to perform paediatric lung transplants. Recognised as a national leader in health care, The Alfred has a commitment to biomedical research. This is made possible through strong partnerships with Monash University, La Trobe University, and several internationally recognised medical research organisations such as the Burnet Institute.